Musical transposing device



A. POLLEFEYT MUSICAL TRANSPOSING DEVICE Oct. 5 1926, 1.602204 Filed Oct. 14, 1922 j mlmfom Patented Oct. 5, 1926.

UNITED STATES AIME POLLEFEYT, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

MUSICAL TEANSIOSING DEVICE.

Application filed October 14, 1522. Serial No. 594,459.

My invention relates to a musical transposing device in the form of a sliding scale adapted for use in connection with any musical. instrument used in orchestration.

The invention has for its object the provision of a transposing device, easy and Simple to manipulate, and through the use of which an instriunentaliet given the concert key of a musical composition can quickly determine the key in which any particular instrument should play to be in accord therewith.

A further object is to provide a trans posing device through the use of which it is possible to transpose single instrumental parts from one kind of pitched musical instrumental part to another differently pitched instrumental part.

In. theatrical orchestration, it is especially useful in that through its use it is possible to quickly and easily determine in what key any particular musical instrument of what soever pitch should play to be in accord with any given concert key. The concert key in which a musical composition is writ ten is frequently raised or lowered to suit an individual singers voice, or for other reason, and when advised of the new concert key, each instrumentalist is, through the use of this device, able to quickly determine the proper key in which the particular instrument he is playing, should play to be in accord.

The invention is also useful to amateurs and students of the musical art who desire to master instrumental transposition of songs or other musical compositions, and in order to easily and quickly find the proper key signatures for each differently pitched musical instrument which takes part in the orchestration. It is particularly useful to determine the roper key signatures for the comet and clarinet. French horns and trumpets, in order to write the easiest lingering key signatures for these lllStIlUl'lQlltS.

These and other objects, together with the construction and operation will more fully appear from the following description and claims, and the accompanying drawing illustrating the device. in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan of the device.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional View through the device.

The device, as shown, consists of two chart elements, which may preferably be constructed as hereinafter described, and which are relatively movable so as to bring into registration the difl'erent characters carried on each.

One chart element is indicated as 5 and bears on its face the key signatures of all musical scales arranged in their natural order from the key of C, and reading from C is a clockwise direction as follows: G, D, A. E, B. and F-sharp; and reading from C in a comiter-clockwise direction; F, B-fiat, E-fiat, A-flat and Dilat, wnich it will be observed, is a progressive arrangement of the keys in sharps and flats from the key of C. It will also be seen that opposite the key signatures B and F-sharp, there appear in the inner circle the key signatures C-flat and G-flat. respectively, and opposite the key signature D-flat, there appears in the same segment, but in the outer circle C-sharp. The twelve key signatures forming the circle, and the three additional key signatures, requiring the same fingering as the key signatures opposite which they respectively appear, complete the fifteen key signatures used in musical composition.

The movable chart element is indicated as 6 and is here shown in the form of a dial, pivoted at 7 to chart element 5 for relative rotation, and is provided with a handle 8 by means of which it may be manually rotated as desired. The key signature classification previously referred to as appearing on chart element 5 is so arranged as to appear just outside the periphery of the rotatable dial, so that the musical instrument pitch groups inscribed at determined intervals within the circumference of the dial may be brought into registration with the different key signatures of the chart as the dial is rotated, and. as appears from the drawing.

The rotatably mounted dial bears on its face, a classification by groups of the differently pitc red musical instruments used in orchestration, and which groups are so arranged as to coordinate with the key classification on the chart. In arranging the nine dilierent pitch groups on the dial, the F- horn group has been placed in the center of the list, as the F-horn is the highest in pitch of the horn family and the F-trumpet is the lowest in pitch of the trumpet family. T o the rightof the F-horn group on the dial appear the four differently pitched groups of musical instruments having the flat sign, namely B-liat, E-liat, adiat and D-tiat; and to the left of the F-horn group on the dial appear the names of the tour dill erently pitched groups having the natural sign, namely, C, G, D, and A. respectively.

The twelve key signatures, which appear in the circle on the chart, and the three key signatures requiring corresponding fingering which appear in the concentric circle, register with the groups listed on the dial, so that it for example, the C instrument group is moved into registration with any key signature in the outer circle, the re maining di'tlerently pitched. groups on the V with the proper key signature so as to be in accord therewith. This accordance tor orchestration between the groups on the dial and the key signatures on the chart, will, irrespective of the position to which the dial may he moved, be the result. If it is desired to a musical composition in another key than that in which written, lven the new key signature of the concert instruments, it will be possible to find the proper lie si nature for any other instrument or pitch group, through the use of my device as described; to-wit, merely by moving the dial to bring the C group into registration with the new key signature at which time all the remaining instrument groups will be in registration with the proper :ey signature to be in accord therewith.

lVhat I claim is 1. In a device of the class described, a sliding scale comprising a chart element bearing on its face the key signatures of all the scales used in musical composition arranged in their natural order from the key of C, and an element bearing on its face reference characters designating the differently pitched groups of musical instruments used in orchestration, said elements movable relatively so as to bring the reference characters indicating the different groups into regist '2 tion with the diti'erent key signatures of the chart, said group pitch characters so relatirely arranged that when the C group is brought into registration with any signature key on the chart the remaining group characters register with the proper key signatures on the chart to be in accord therewith.

2. In a device of the class described, in combination, a chart element bearing on its face all the key signatures used in musical composition arranged in a determined relative order, a dial element bearing on its face a key classification of the differently pitched groups of musical instruments so arranged that when the reference character indicating the C group of instruments is brought into registration with any my signature ot the chart the ren'iaining key relerence characters of the dial register with the proper key signatures of the chart to be in accord therewith.

3. In a device of the class descri iicd, in combination, a chart, a dial pivoted thereto for rotation, said chartbearing on its face the key signatures used in musical composition arranged in their natural order from the key of C, said dial bearing on its face a key classification of the differently pitched groups or musical instruments revers ly arranged from C as a base in such a manner that when the dial is so rotated as to bring the C group into registration with any key signature of the chart the remaining groups register with the pro ier key signature on the chart for such group to be in accord with the C instrument group.

a. In a device of the class described, in combination, a chart, a rotatable dial pivoted to said chart, said chart bearing on its face in spaced. apart relationship about the periphery of the rotatable dial a classification of the i'itteen dil'l'erent signature keys used in musical conu'iosition arranged in twelve groups as follows: reading in a clockwise direction C, G, D, A, E, I), and C-flat, F-sl arp or G-flat, C-sha 'p or D-flat, A-flat, E-flat, B-fiat and F, and said dial bearing on its tace a key classification of the dill'erently pitched groups 0t musical instruments used in orchestration peripherally arranged to register with the keys on the chart and arranged in aclockwise direction 15 follows: C, F, B-flat, E-flat, A-tlat, D-tlat, A-sharp, D, and Gr.

5. A device comprising a pair of relative ly movable members adapted to be brought into registry with each other in diti'erent positions and each having a series of equally spaced sections, the sections or one member bearing the indicia of the various musical keys so arranged that the keynote of each key is the litth or dominant note of the key immediately adjacent in a given direction, and the sect-ions ot the other member hearing the indicia of the keys so arranged that when read in the same direction the keynote of each key is the fourth or subdominant note of the adjacent key.

AIME POLLEFEYT.

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